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Audi unveils new Q7

Audi has lifted the veil on the second-generation Q7 ahead of a public premiere for the new up-market seven-seat SUV at the Detroit motor show in early January.

Holding true to earlier claims, the German car maker says the Q7 has shed a significant 325kg in weight over its predecessor in 245kW supercharged 3.0-litre V6 petrol engine form at 1970kg.

The enormous drop in kerb weight is credited to a detailed weight reduction program that has seen 100kg cut from the Q7's suspension and an additional 71kg taken out of the body – some 24kg of which has been achieved through the adoption of aluminium doors alone. Further reductions in weight have also been made possible by a new electric architecture and refinements to the floorpan, which now uses a greater amount of hot formed high strength steel and aluminium.

Set for Australian sale from mid-2015, Ingolstadt's flagship SUV boasts an evolutionary appearance with a bold new single frame grille similar in design to that recently brought to the facelifted Q3, more heavily defined wheel arches, tauter surfacing treatment, a more prominent shoulder and numerous crease lines within the flanks to help reduce its visual bulk.

A series of newly adopted aerodynamic refinements, including the extensive use of underbody cladding and, on selected models, elements within the grille that automatically close to reduce wind turbulence when engine bay cooling is not required, has netted the new Q7 a drag co-efficient of 0.32.

At 5050mm in length, 1970mm in width and 1740mm in height, the new Audi is 370mm shorter, 15mm narrower and the same height than its predecessor when underpinned by its standard steel sprung suspension. The wheelbase has also been reduced, but only by 10mm at 2990mm.

Despite the reduction in external dimensions, Audi says the interior of the new Q7 offers greater accommodation than the model it replaces. While continuing to offer seating for up to seven occupants, the interior has been significantly altered.

Audi has revealed its next generation Q7 SUV

Improved packaging is claimed to have liberated an added 21mm between the first and second rows of seats together with a respective 41mm and 23mm of headroom. The third row of seats also offer 24mm more headroom and 20mm more shoulder room than before.

As part of Audi's efforts to provide the Q7 with a more up-market positioning, the new models adopts a highly contemporary styled dashboard with minimal switchgear, free standing infotainment monitor, digital instrument binnacle similar to that unveiled on the latest TT and a prominent centre console with a newly designed MMI controller and gear shift lever.

Among the EU6 emission regulation compliant engines confirmed from the outset of second-generation Q7 sales in Australia is a turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 diesel producing 200kW and 600Nm of torque in the 3.0 TDI and supercharged 3.0-litre V6 direct injection petrol unit with 245kW and 440Nm in the 3.0 TFSI

The 3.0 TDI possesses a claimed 0-100km/h time of 6.3sec and 234km/h top speed along with combined cycle consumption of just 5.7L/100kmg and average CO2 emissions of just 149g/km. This represents respective gains of 1.6sec, 19km/h, 1.7L/100km and 46g/km.

The 3.0 TFSI offers greater performance with a 0-100km/h of 6.1sec and limited 250km/h top speed, but predictably it can't match the diesel for outright economy and emissions, with a claimed 7.7L/100km and 179g/km. By comparison, the old model posted respective figures of 7.9sec, 225km/h, 26.4mpg and 249g/km.

The maximum towing capacity for both models is put at 3500kg.

Further engines will be added to the line-up in time, including a twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 and a diesel-electric hybrid that combines a specially tuned version of the turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 with an electric motor.

The second-generation Q7 is based on a heavily modified version of Audi's MLB (Modularen Langsbau – modular longitudinal architecture) platform that uses a combination of hot-formed high strength steel and aluminium as part of Audi's weight reduction program.

The same platform is also planned to underpin successors to the second-generation Volkswagen Touareg and second-generation Porsche Cayenne, alongside which the new Q7 will be produced at the Volkswagen Group's Bratislava factory in Slovakia. Elements of the new platform will also be used by the upcoming Bentley Falcon and, possibly, a production version of the Lamborghini Urus.

The new Audi rides on a standard steel suspension and 18-inch wheels, although buyers can specify an option air suspension providing differing levels of ride height depending on the drive mode chosen and wheels up to 21 inches in diametre. As well as offering a 100kg reduction in weight over the suspension used by the old Q7, the new underpinnings also boasts a 50mm lower centre of gravity.

In a move aimed at providing the Q7 with added agility, the new model also gains an optional rear wheel steer function. It counter steers the rear wheels at lower speeds for greater maneuverability and a reduced turning circle in city driving. At higher speeds, the rear wheels turn parallel to those at the front at an angle of up to 5 degrees for added sharpness and handling prowess.